When is enough enough?

[Northernbass]

When prefishing for a tourney how many fish do you catch from an area before you leave it? How many days before a tourney do you start prefishing?

[djkimmel]

Northernbass,
You are the champ at short questions that could require a book to answer them. You probably have some guys going, “uh-oh he’s going to get kimmel to write another book.”<br>
Hopefully you’ll get a little bit each from a bunch of guys. That’s the best way to get answers in this fishing sport.

I personally try to stick as few bass as possible within the week before the tournament. If it is a really tough water, I try not to stick any if I can get the sense of size and numbers any other way (i.e. visible in clear water, or holding a bait that has no hooks, etc)

When Derek and I won the Mullett Lake federation tournament in 2000, I only stuck 1 keeper per day. Since there were some on beds, I would look for big bass all day and not hook any. Then at the end of the day, I’d go back through the shallower areas were I could see everything and pick a small keeper to catch, kind of as a reward. So while other guys were bragging about how many and how big bass they were catching every day, I would just say I only caught 1 small one. We caught almost all the big bass I found in practice on the tournament day.

Of course, in tournaments it’s the ones you catch on the actual tournament days that are the only ones that count.

If I can’t see the bass and I think there are lots of bass around, I will stick a few to see if they are all the same size or not. Or if a certain approach attracts bigger bass. I tend to cover or take off hooks a lot in practice on non-Great Lakes waters.

I look at every fishing day as a learning experience, but it seems like you can practice too much for a specific tournament. There are so many factors that change day-to-day and hour-to-hour that your practice needs to take that into consideration. Spending too much time specifically for a tournament might be confusing especially if you keep hitting the same areas over and over.

It may be better to limit your area of practice using seasonal patterns and then learn everything you can about that area. If you get them figured out there, you may want to then look for similar areas if you have time. Or you may find you have enough fish in the area you’ve trimmed down to.

If you have lots of practice time beyond, say, 3 days, use it to try new things in new areas after you’ve nailed down your primary patterns/areas already.

I believe the key is to just always try to learn more things on the water every time you go out.

[Northernbass]

Good reply Dan. I am not really looking for long answers to these questions I ask. I basically ask these questions just to see what the other guys do. I got my own system of prefishing, but was just courious to see what everyone else does or goes about it. Also I am just trying to keep some chatting going on just to keep everyone from going insane from cabin fever. I am much like you I hate to stick fish right before a tourney, I like to prefish it a week or so before and catch some then a few days or the day before the tourney return and fish lures without hooks to see if I can get the fish to bite and see if they are still in the area, seems to work for me.

[MBell]

That's a really good question. I don't think you can have enough time in the spring when they are on beds the more you find the better. I don't even throw at them if they are on beds, just a good pair of sun glasses and the tm on high. I like to plan my practice days with map reading and research on the internet of winning weights, good areas, local lure etc. I write down my plan for the day, this keeps me from wasting time. My ideal practice situation would be 4 days prior to the tournament. I have a day to get familiar with the lake, and two practice days with a rest day before the tournament, because of meetings you really don't get a full practice day any way. This is what I like to do not what I actually get to do, time is hard to find sometimes. The most important part of practice to me is map reading. I've wasted so much time on the water deciding where to go next. I like to fish reaction baits when ever I can. One flaw I have noticed in my practice is that I fished for the wrong size fish on unfamiliar waters. Knowing if you need 10lbs or 20lbs, two years ago at lake vermillion this killed me. All of the results I could find had about 14-15lbs winning the tourment, some of these were even team tourments in the spring. I was fishing for 12lb limit and ended up in 100 and something place for it.

[Northernbass]

Good Reply Matt,

That is very true, time is hard to find sometimes. I am like you I love to look at old tournament results just to get an idea of what it is going to take to win or come close.

[Grandbass]

I figure I spend about 1/2 my time prefishing and the other studying a lake map & techniques trying to figure something out with location and pattern for the time of year. Prefishing is different with me I do fish but I also bust out my Aquaview to see different areas I am planning to fish and see how bass are relating to that area if they are there at all. Keeping logs of lakes I fish tournaments on is another thing I do. Its a pain but it gives me ideas and techniques that were productive in the past. Sometimes they work and sometimes you go home wondering what the hell you were thinking.

[Northernbass]

Hey Grandbass,

That is what makes this sport what it is. Sometimes you can't go wrong then other times it seems like it was your first time out.

Grandbass, when you use your aquaview do the bass stay around or do the run from it? Do they get spooked with the boat straight overhead and you dropping the camera down? I would like to get one of those cameras but just don't know how much it will help me.

[djkimmel]

Some kinds of fish spook when the camera comes near. Some spook just before the camera about bumps them.

Bass will often circle the camera and follow it, while smallies in particular will even charge and bump the camera like a territorial thing. They are sometimes jumpy around it, but sometimes curious and approaching too.

Do some research. Some brands don't hold up well to continued use, especially around currents and potential snags.

I wore out an older Aqua Vu Jr in less than 3 seasons. I'm hoping all the smaller brands are tougher now since they are still expensive, but I've already decided when I can afford another one, I'm buying a Seaviewer since they are built like a tank - larger, sturdier with a dramatically stronger cable while still being comparable in cost to the smaller 'newcomers' to the market (Seaviewer has been in the underwater camera market for decades).

Seaviewer is used by most federal agencies, and research groups. They have a great color version that is much more enjoyable to use and the BIG camera and fin make much clearer pictures (the smaller cameras all shake a lot which can be disturbing if you're sensitive to motion sickness or want to record to playback later, especially to audiences).

Check them out at Seaviewer.com.

If you can get down to any of the Showspan outdoor shows in Novi, Lansing or Grand Rapids this winter, stop by Wayne Carpenter's Combat Fishing/Xtreme Bass Tackle booth to see the camera in action at the booth and in our seminars in underwater recorded sequences.

Wayne carries Seaviewer because he uses underwater cameras so heavily, he just wore out too many (up to 3 in one summer of another brand) before he switched to the 'tank' of the industry.

I want one too that I know once I buy, I can count on to keep working every time I need it.

It really is addicting to drift along looking through one and you'd be surprise what you see. I learned a ton while my other brand still worked (it broke last summer).

[Northernbass]

Thanks Dan,

That is some good info I will definatly check that brand out. Did you ever use it down a weed line to see if the bass were using that particular weed line or not? I was thinking of getting one and using it for that.

[PoorBoy]

Underwater cameras are great. I own an Aqua Vu and it has been good to me over the past 2 seasons. i did have to replace the battery once, but thats it.

I will say this much tho. the cameras are a good tool but they do have there downside. One example is when you drop the cam down and spot tons of fish in the area you are fishing, but can not get bit no matter what you do. You will waste a lot of time trying different baits and techniques and fishing for fish that just wont bite. I have done this too many times. cast, cast, cast, retie, cast, cast, cast, different color, cast, cast, cast, drop the cam and make sure there are still fish there, cast, cast, cast, etc.

you may also want to leave the rods at home if you are planning on veiwing for most of the day. once that cam gets down and you start seeing fish, or finding rock piles, stumps, volkswagons, you will quickly be spending more time fishing. it is to the point for me now that i dont even bring a rod with me if i plan on viewing, or else i dont get much veiweing done.

and as far as fish spooking goes, you will be amazed when you are looking a walleye, or a smallmouth, or a crayfish right in the eye. they dont fear the camera too much. i find they spook if you make any noise in the boat above them. but if you are quiet they will swim circles around it, bump it, charge it, or just stare at it.

it is a good investment. i would recommend picking one up if you have the means. the coolest thing is you can hook a video camera up to them and make underwater footage movies. and if you find it is vibrating too much, buy a telescopic pole and rig the camera and cable to it. this also helps alot in viewing areas as you can turn the camera with the pole and see more than just whats straight ahead. and you can bump smallmouth in the a$$ when they arent looking.

PoorBoy himself

[MBell]

The camera is good, but it takes up a lot of time. My camera makes me feel sick when I use it, even if its not that rough. It will drive you nuts looking at schools of 3-4lb smallmouths just suspending, thats all I could find this year.

[djkimmel]

PoorBoy said:

you can bump smallmouth in the a$$ when they arent looking.
PoorBoy himself

Personally, I don't know that I'd post something like that on a public forum. It could be misunderstood...

[djkimmel]

If you aren't in too heavy a current, you can turn the camera a little without the pole extension if you twist the cable between your fingers.

A camera is just another tool to help your fishing. It won't necessarily make you a better angler, but I do like the confidence in knowing fish are there or not there. If I can't catch them after a while, I can go somewhere else. BUT if I haven't found them anywhere else, at least I know I'm not totally wasting my casts in empty water.

I had problems too with motion sickness at times with the camera. I've been susceptible to motion sickness for several years now. It wasn't so much when it was rough, but when there was more camera-shake due to current. That's one of the main reasons I need to go to a bigger and heavier camera. Anywhere near the river channels gave me problems at times (of course if I was by myself I had to have one eye on 'tuna' boat alert anyway ;D).

[PoorBoy]

Perhaps your right Lt Dan. But as long as the footage doesnt pop up somewhere on the internet i should be ok, right?

PoorBoy himself

[djkimmel]

PoorBoy said:

Perhaps your right Lt Dan. But as long as the footage doesnt pop up somewhere on the internet i should be ok, right?

PoorBoy himself

Funny you should bring this up right now... Just wait and check out www.hotbass.com soon!!!